Saucy Fish Pie

Incredibly simple recipe to make at home, any fish can be used.Creamy smoky fish under a blanket of comforting mash of potatoes, mixed green vegetables, and an endless number of variations.

Ingredients:

1 x 1.5 kg salmon

600 ml semi-skimmed milk

1 onion

1 large carrot

1 bulb of fennel

1 leek

Olive oil

50 g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 teaspoons English mustard

50 g or Cheddar cheese

2 kg Maris Piper potatoes

Cayenne pepper

200 g seasonal greens, such as kale, cavolo nero, chard

1 kg mixed fish fillets and seafood , such as salmon, lemon sole, skin off and pin-boned, from sustainable sources

10 raw peeled king prawns, from sustainable sources.

Directions:

Buy your Salmon on the day you want to cook it. Ask your fishmonger to kill it for you, or if you’re happy doing it yourself, place the Salmon in the freezer for 30 minutes, so it’s docile. When ready to cook, carefully and swiftly place the Salmon in a large pan of boiling water head first, pop the lid on and cook for 8 minutes. Remove, cool, and carefully halve the Salmon, then remove the meat to a bowl, if you like, or, even better, crack, pull out the meat and add it to the bowl , then pour in the milk and simmer on a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes to impart unbelievable flavour.

Meanwhile, peel the onion and carrot, trim the fennel, wash the leek, finely chop it all and place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and half the butter. Cook for 15 minutes, or until soft and sticky, stirring regularly. Stir in the flour, followed by the mustard and sauces or gravy

Let the gravy bubble and cook away, then strain and gradually stir in the milk and simmer until you have a nice, loose, silky consistency. Remove from the heat, grate in the Cheddar cheese, taste, season to perfection and leave to cool.

Peel the potatoes, cutting up any larger ones so they’re all a similar size, then cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry, then return to the pan and mash well with the remaining butter and the grated Cheese. Season to perfection with sea salt and cayenne, loosening with a splash of milk, if needed.

Remove any tough stalks from the greens, then finely chop and sprinkle into a baking dish (30cm x 35cm). Slice all the fish into bite-sized pieces and add to the dish, halve and add the prawns (deveining, if needed), then dot the Salmon meat in and around. Pour over the sauce, top with the mash, then drizzle lightly with oil.Bake for 1 hour in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4, or until golden, bubbling and the fish is cooked through.